Call to Artists – Request for Qualifications The Redwood City Improvement Association (RCIA) Seeks Artists for Bike Rack Murals in Downtown Redwood City

The Redwood City Improvement Association (RCIA) in partnership with the City of Redwood City Seeks Professional Visual Artists to Create Painted Designs on Bike Racks for Downtown Redwood City.

Bike Rack Murals from Atlanta Bike Rack Mural Project

Purpose:

To select ten artists to submit mural designs for the Redwood City Bike Rack Mural project. The selected artists will be paid to participate in the RFP (Request for Proposals), and from these proposals, five artists will be selected to participate in the project and paint a bike mural.

Issued:

December 10, 2018

Entry Deadline:

Friday, January 11th 2019. The ten finalists will be notified by January 22nd , 2019.

Contact:

Project/Scope of Work

The Redwood City Improvement Association (RCIA) seeks local and regional professional visual artists to adorn five metal bike racks with original painted artworks to be placed in several locations in downtown Redwood City. The goal is to provide more bike racks in downtown and add to the public art in Redwood City.

The RCIA Bike Rack Mural Project will…

Provide additional bicycle parking for the increasing number of people who choose bicycling as a form of transportation in the city.

Further encourage and promote the use of biking as transportation.

Enhance Redwood City’s image as a bike and public art friendly city.

Engage and promote the work of regional and local artists.

Encourage creative place-making through public art by creating aesthetic objects that symbolize the City’s creativity and livability.

Artists with selected designs will be provided with a fabricated and powder coated bike-shaped bike rack for artists to embellish with original, hand-painted works of art. Artists will be responsible for completing the design for the mural and applying the paint to the bike rack. After each painted design is complete, artists will return the bike racks to Public Works Department of Redwood City. The Public Works Department will then install them in the neighborhood.

*Please note: The exhibition of the artist-painted bike racks will be considered a “temporary” installation. RCIA anticipates leaving the painted bike racks in place until the murals become dilapidated (likely around three to five years).

Budget/Compensation

The ten artists selected from the RFQ process will receive a $250 artist fee when their proposals are submitted. The five awarded artists will receive artist fee/compensation of $800 for painting a bike rack mural.

In addition to the $800 award, the RCIA will provide protective breathing equipment (respirators) and will purchase “1 Shot” oil enamel paints for each artist to use (up to $200). Artists will be required to provide their own preferred paint application supplies (sprayers, brushes, or other).

Project Timeline ( Dec 2018 – May 2019 )

December 10: Call to artists for RFQ (Request For Qualifications)January 11: Deadline for artists qualifications. Ten artists will be selected from the RFQ process. Selected artists will participate in the RFP (Request For Proposals).January 22: Selected artists are notified, RFP issuedFebruary 22 : Deadline for design proposalsMarch 15: Artists with selected proposals/designs will be notified.March 23: Mandatory artist orientation covering, expectations and materials. Artists pick up bike rack bicycles and begin painting (this is a Saturday)April 27: Deadline for returning painted bicycles to Redwood City Public Works DepartmentApril 29 – May 10: City of Redwood City installs bicycles

Eligibility Requirements

Must be a professional, individual artist (no artist teams)

Must be legally able to work in the United States.

Local artists only. Must reside in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Redwood City does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, economic status, or gender identity.

RFQ Evaluation Criteria

The selection committee will use the following criteria to evaluate the artist:

Original and personal approach

Professional credentials (as evidenced in the submitted materials).

Artistic excellence of past work.

Experience with public art projects

Experience with site-specific artwork

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATION GUIDELINES & REQUIREMENTS

ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE ELECTRONIC. SEND THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS AS PDF FILES TO:

2. A letter of interest: outlining your approach to public art, your interest in this specific project and what you bring to the project as an artist. Please include experience with other projects of similar scope, sources of inspiration presented by the project, a descriptive narrative of possible aesthetic direction and any other comments that might help differentiate you as a candidate.

3. A professional resume/CV: Not to exceed three pages.

4. Images of past works: Eight maximum. A brief description for each project including the title, size, and artist intent would be helpful.

5. Professional references: At least two professional references from past projects with contact information.

For any questions regarding the project or the Request for Qualifications, please contact Susie Peyton at sjpeyton@comcast.net